AVIATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1046, 8 February 1911, Page 6

AVIATION.

MR. SOPWITH'S FLIGHT FROM SHEPPEY ISLE. / ACOIDKNT TO Oil A HAM K WHITE. A new avialor canic into (he public eye nil December IN, when Mr. Snpwith llc.r across I lie Channel from the Isle of Slicppe.v in the eompetition for Huron lie I'oiesl.'s prize of .tIIKIO for Hie longest lliglit, including a Channel crossing, aehieved on an all-l!ritisli machine. About. nine o'clock, to everybody's surprise, an aeroplane pa-.-ed over Dover and proceeded mil aeross the ''liannel. It. was a daring piece of airmanship, as no tugs »orc mil. or liny oilier measures of prr(iintinn taken against aecident. The neroplane eame over Dover from the noiiheasl, nnd when passing over the Maxton dislriel, was about eight. hundred feet up. It. rose still higher when going towards the elill's, and passed directly over the wireless telegraph .station al Kpion ICop, being llk'ii judged about Inclvf; humlml I'cnl iiifjli, and travelling al n great speed, with a fresh north-easterly breeze liehind it. Inforinntion was foibseriuently received that, tlio aviator was Mr. Siptvilh, one of the entrants for the l)o forest prize, who had ascended from the aviation ground al Eastchurch, Isle of Slieppey, on his Howard-Wright biplane.' There was a. little h;i//' over the Channel, but. the progress of the tnachine could be watched for a considerable ilislance. durinß which il. was iirikini,' solendid headway at a speed of nbonl Jifty miles lin hour.' Subsequently a niessacfl was received at Dover from Ilrus'i'ls staling that Mr. Sopwith had reached Heinmont. in Mr. Hopwilh eonimenced his flight from I'lasleliurch, Isle of Slieppey, at 3.30. and llc.v to IJover, and thence across Channel. Mr. Grahame White's Trial. 11l vieiv of the fact that one avintnr was flyinK, it was judged that it -would nol -be Ion:: before Mr. Gi'ahame White made an ascent, and a largo number of people had made Hieir way to Swinnate Downs bv 10 o'clock. The aviator only reached Dover from huirton by the eleven o'eloek mail train, but it was only a quarter of an hour later when lie arrived on Swinpate Dnwns in his niotor-car. Mr. Grahame "White first mada his wiy inland towards the Doke of York's Mili-tary-School, the machine planing up beautifully to* a height-of about three hundred feet. The aviator then swept round, and it was noticed that although tho movement was a wide one. the wind, which was now blowing at from twelve to fifteen miles an hour, caught the machine and made it rock badly. The wind had increased a good deal ill the last two hours. As soon as the biplane was headed in a southerly direction towards tlio cliffs, however, it steadied nnd went ahead, nt a tremendous snood. It looked as though Mr. Grahame White had decided to make straight across for France, but all at once he made n rapid turning movement to the eastward, and the disaster followed almost immediately.

The Accident. As soon as the machine came speeding round, it caught the full forco of the strong north-east, wind, which appeared to catch it from below and turn it completely over. The aviator ' appeared to be struggling with the levers in a hopeless attempt to right the machine as the biplane capsized and came crashing to tho earth with :i sickening thud in a. depression on the cliffs. There were screams from tho women amongst the spectators, and a general rush was started towards the spot where the aviator lay entanelcd, amongst the wreckage of his aeroplane. This rush, however, was headed off by the mounted military police, who rode at the running people and scared them back by tho prancing of their horses, where .tho foot, police were helpless to check tho rush. Two doctors, who, were amongst the onlnnkors. velnntfwod their services, and extricated Mr. Grahams' Whiti from the Wreckatro of the machine, no presented a piteous spectacle. his head and faco streaming with blood, whilst he was apparently in irreat pain. Some greatcoats were spread on the ground, and the unfortunate aviator was carefully laid noon them, the doctors then ma,kintr a, preliminary examination of his injuries, no had severe cuts on the head and face, which were bleeding profusely. There was a long, deep cut on the light eyebrow and round* to the temple, and another across tho bridge of the nose. He bad narrowly escaped Insins his sight. He was given. some brandy, and first nid rendered, after which he was placed in a motor-car and conveyed to the Lord Warden Hotel, which he has made his headquarters at Dover. As the car started from tho Downs the spectators chcercd the injured aviator.